Lal Masjid

Address Aabpara, G-6

The Lal Masjid — the "Red Mosque," for its distinctive red brick and ochre paint — sits in the Aabpara area of G-6. It is one of the older mosques in Islamabad, founded in 1965 as the capital was being built, and remains an active centre of religious instruction.

The mosque is most famous for the 2007 siege in which the Pakistani army moved against the radical clerics who had taken refuge inside. It has since been rebuilt and ordinary visitors are welcome outside prayer times; dress modestly and check for current advisories before going.

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In July 2007 the Pakistani army stormed the mosque after a week-long siege in which the radical clerics inside, who had been running a vigilante anti-vice campaign in the capital, refused to surrender. Over one hundred died in the operation; the explosion of religious militancy across northwest Pakistan that followed is generally traced back to this week.

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